SR755 Review

The body is made of a light-weight Mahogany with a laminated walnut top. The bolt-on neck is a five piece Jatoba/Bubinga neck with a Rosewood fretboard fitted with 24 medium frets and abalone oval inlays. The Gold finish hardware consists of an Ibanez/Gotoh Die-Cast Tuners with an Ibanez/Soundgear Accucast B-25 Adjustable Bridge.

SR755
Reviewed by:
dandhjohn, on september 11, 2009 3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 799

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: Ibanez Soundgear SR-755. Photo of actual bass here.
I purchased this bass from the local Guitar Center. I had visited the shop and tried the SR-505 and like the sound, but not the look. I then looked on line and found this bass. The salesman at Guitar Center found two of them at the Guitar Center in Kansas City where I was going to be the following weekend, so I made arraignments to try them there. They were both beautiful, but the wood on the one I have looked nicer so I had that one sent up to my local shop along with an Ibanez Prestige Bass hardshell case that fits the instrument perfectly.
The bass appears to have been made in Indonesia. The body is made of a light-weight Mahogany with a laminated walnut top. The bolt-on neck is a five piece Jatoba/Bubinga neck with a Rosewood fretboard fitted with 24 medium frets and abalone oval inlays. The Gold finish hardware consists of an Ibanez/Gotoh Die-Cast Tuners with an Ibanez/Soundgear Accucast B-25 Adjustable Bridge.
Electronics included two active Bartolini pickups and a Bartolini Mk-1 Three Ban E.Q. The controls consist of a volume knob, a fader-select between the two pickups, and three controls for the E.Q., Bass, Midrange, and treble. Width at nut: 1 3/4" Body width: 12 1/2" Scale Length: 34" // 10

Sound: The E.Q. in this bass is perfect as it gives additional control over the sound of the bass. The strings have a piano quality sound to them through the active pickups and the low B string is very easy to hear for tuning purposes, especially if you turn up all the treble. The variety of sounds available through this bass is astounding. I've been able to get a really low rumble all the way up to a very high treble sound. I tend to turn the treble down, leave the mid-range at it's mid point, and then crank the bass pot up, but not quite all the way.
Unlike other basses that only have a Switch to select which pickup to use, this bass has a fader control pot that selects between the two pickups. This is unique and presents more variety in the sounds the bass can produce. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The neck is really flat and the action is superb allowing me to move between the low registers and the high with little if any effort. My hand glides on the neck. I really like the shallow thickness of the neck and the width is perfect. I've been playing my Gibson EB-3 for quite a while and really liked the neck on that instrument. This neck is a perfect compliment to that guitar and extends my range with the addition of the 5th string.
The dark Walnut finish on this guitar is beautiful. I like the real wood look that the walnut brings to the instrument. The light colored center piece gives the illusion that he neck continues all the way to the bridge. The satin finish on the back of the neck is smooth and flawless. No drag can be found on this neck. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The bass is really new so I have no idea yet about the reliability or durability, but it will get a real workout as I've joined a new band as the bassist and will be using this instrument at all my gigs. It worked flawlessly at my first gig two weeks ago. The satin finish should stand up to normal wear and tear. The hardware is all top notch, so I don't expect any trouble with this bass. In the short time I've had it, it's been a dream to use. // 9

Overall Impression: I needed a bass with a good bottom to it as I'm now playing in a country band and need to fill in. I can get the sounds I need for country, but still kick it up a notch for some of the old rock and roll we play. I also like to play classic rock and this bass seems perfectly suited to fill all of those rolls.
I really love to play this bass. I was a little skeptical about the 5th string, but on this model it feels natural to play it when the only other option on a 4 string bass was to go high on the neck to get the note I needed, now they are available just down one string. The speed of the neck and the close spacing of the strings makes this bass a dream to play. // 10